Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
a required attribute in PHIN PCA Guide v1.0. CAP v1.1 does NOT require
messages to include the info sub-element <info.description>. The element is
specified as “an extended human readable description of the hazard or event
that occasioned this message.” CAP v1.1 also includes an optional info sub-
element <info.headline> that provides “a brief human-readable headline …
that SHOULD be made as direct and actionable as possible while remaining
short. A useful target for headline length MAY be 160 characters.”
In addition, CAP v1.1 includes an optional info sub-element <info.instruc-
tions> that provides “extended human readable instructions to targeted
recipients” and describes “recommended action to be taken by recipients of
the alert message.” PHIN PCA Guide v1.0 specifies this sub-element for the
optional message attribute
dissemination
intended to provide instructions for
sharing message information beyond the initial intended recipient.
14.5.9.1 CAP Profile Considerations for the RTBP Project
It was recommended that RTBP adopt CAP v1.1 info sub-element <info.
description> to convey a human readable description of the event that occa-
sioned the alert message. Recognizing the need for a brief description of the
alert, especially with respect to the use of small screen devices like mobile
phones, it was also recommended that RTBP adopt CAP v1.1 info sub-ele-
ment <headline> to convey a brief human readable message under 160 char-
acters describing the event that occasioned the alert message.
It was also recommended that RTBP include consideration of CAP v1.1 info
sub-element <info.instructions> for future implementation, when issuers
might wish to provide recipients with specific directions in terms of respond-
ing to an alert message. There is a need to develop procedures and guide-
lines for message texts pertaining to various alerts that will be issued during
the RTBP project. There is a need to ensure that message delivery software
will correctly and reliably render message contents from <info.description>
and <info.headline> sub-elements to correspond with long text, short text,
and voice messages.
14.6 Conclusions
As noted above, experts in the field of biosurveillance and health informatics
have argued that improvements in disease detection and notification can be
achieved by introducing more efficient means of gathering, analyzing, and
reporting on data from multiple locations. Alerting and notification is vital
to “close the loop” within a biosurveillance project because it provides timely
information to health officials necessary to prepare them to take appropri-
ate action. Information technology standards play a key role in ensuring
